The Question That Changed My Direction

Direction - pinterestHi Friends!  I hope the New Year, New Thing series helped you kick off 2016 with a bang. While those amazing writers were filling up my blog all month, I was contemplating what comes next for Do A New Thing.

Something that happened back in December kept ringing in my spirit.  A friend posted in a Facebook group:

In search of Christian Business/Life/Ministry Coaches to follow – those who write about applying God’s Word/truths to your business/ministry goals (with verse references). Anyone? Thanks in advance!

My first thought was, “Hey!  That’s me!”  My second thought was, “Hey, why is she posting that?  She KNOWS that’s what I do.”

That sounds a little selfish, I know.  It’s important for people to get input from different viewpoints. And this particular friend is most generous and one of my biggest cheerleaders.

As my bruised feelings gave way to reflection, my next thought was, “Is that really me?”  It’s what I want to be.  A resource providing exactly what she asked for: applying God’s Word/truths to your business/ministry goals (with verse references).  But was I doing that?

And the honest answer was no.  Not to the degree I wanted.  When I examined what I was doing, I found it was good, helpful information on a bunch of topics but only had occasional, vague references to God or other spiritual things.

I had gotten off track a bit.  Caught up in numbers and reach and page views and “content marketing”,  I tried to go wide and cast a big net. In the process, I was also going shallow.

God spoke gently in my heart. “I didn’t ask you to serve the masses.  I asked you to serve my girls.  The ones who have a passion for reaching hearts through words and businesses that honor Me.

The ones who are confused by the volume of information and resources available.

The ones who have ideas bursting from their heads.

The ones overwhelmed by all.the.things.

So I’m committing to cast a narrower net and you can hold me accountable.  Here is what to expect from Do A New Thing and if I’m not doing it, please call me out!

A Tighter Focus

You are a strong, smart, capable business or ministry leader. Do you realize that even if your ministry is “just” you and a blog, you are a LEADER? Even if you are “just” a volunteer in a larger ministry, you are a LEADER?

On the blog, we’ll explore various aspects of leading and growing your ministry, managing the tension between being a business-minded ministry and a ministry-minded business, equipping you to be more effective.  It will be a mix of inspiration, encouragement and practical, actionable information.

Steeped in Scripture

Every blog post will have a strong focus on Biblical principles.  Because you know what?  I believe God cares about every detail of what you are doing.

He cares about whether you use Canva or PicMonkey.

He cares about your Etsy shop.

He cares about the header on your website.

Not necessarily because God has a preference of one resource or another, but because He is deeply interested in your decision-making process.  Are you being consistent with your calling?  Considerate of where you are investing your time and your money?  God cares about all those things and His Word gives us guidance as we ponder the many decisions we make every day.

Shared Learning

I’m the first to admit I am new at this.  While I’m pretty good at figuring out the techie things, I’m not an expert on running an online ministry or business.  But I am learning something new every day.  So occasionally on the blog will be Lessons Learned.  I’ll share about the products, books and other resources I am using to build my website and business.  These Lessons Learned posts may contain affiliate links, but I promise I will only write about things I am actually using and my opinions will be honest, including the pros and cons of every resource I share.

Excellent Services

Maybe the only difference between me and you is that all those ideas marching around in my head don’t overwhelm or confuse me.  They are in nice neat little rows, each one waiting its turn to be first in line.

If you need help turning the tornado of ideas into those neat little rows, I’d be honored to work with you.  I am so thankful for those who have trusted me with their vision and allowed me to join hands in their ministry.  Because that’s what we do.  We work together to make your God-sized dream a reality.  Click around the site to learn about my Services, Packages and Special Offers.  Let me know how I can help.

Faith-Centered Courses and Resources

I want to help equip you for excellence in online ministry.  As I learn more about what you need to be more productive and effective, I’ll create something to help.  Some will be free and some will be available for purchase.  But all of them filtered through God’s Word.  We’ll navigate this together!


I’m so thankful my friend asked the question that changed my direction. It’s kinda narrow and might not appeal to you. I may lose subscribers and page views.  But that’s ok.

God didn’t call me to serve the masses.  He called me to serve his girls.

And if you are one of his girls who wants to go deep into being an effective Christian business or ministry leader, stick around.  We’ll learn to do that together.

Now I want to hear from you.  What are your biggest challenges?  Topics and conundrums I can research and share?


Tired from trying to share your God-inspired message while working your full time job?

Do you wonder if it’s worth it, or even possible, to build a ministry or business on the side?

I have good news for you. It is possible. It is worth it. You can do it.

That’s why I’m glad to share with you the four-part Honor System, to help you honor all the work God has given you to do. These are the hard-earned lessons I’ve taken away from chasing after my dreams and maintaining the career that supports my family.

Grab it here!

This week, I am linking up with Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup, Crystal Storms at #IntentionalTuesday, Jaime Wiebel at #SittingAmongFriends, Susan Mead at #DanceWithJesus, and Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart

35 thoughts on “The Question That Changed My Direction”

  1. GIRL, I am in tears here! You know how much I love you and I AM SO EXCITED and will be first in line for that online course! Let me know if I can help in any way! You amaze me!

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  2. Love love LOVE this! I am now certain that we are meant to work together at some point. I’m currently taking an entrepreneurship course at our community college right now and boy is it hard to build a business plan for a Christian business when you’re clueless and you’re learning in a secular environment. I think it’s necessary, as I’ll be working in our broken secular world and should understand how things work (laws etc), but after this glimpse into what’s out there I know I’ll be ready to build it God’s way with my feet firmly planted in His word, the gifts He’s given me and His direction. Can’t wait to work with you! 🙂

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  3. Great post Christa! Confirmed for me that I am in the right place working with you. For anyone reading this that feels God leading you to work with Christa, pray, and when he continues to point you to that direction, GO! It will be worth it!

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    • Oh wow, you are making me teary! I love working with you, Nicole. When your clients become your friends and you get to watch their ministry bloom … Well, it doesn’t get much better than that!

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  4. Wonderful, heartfelt post Christa! I know God has called to do a new thing in a new direction and that can be scary, but you have clear focus and vision and we will all benefit form that! I will be praying for you as you head out on this new adventure and am so excited to see where it goes! Glad to be part of your tribe and encourage you on 🙂

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  5. Christa, you know I have my hand in a lot of jars…. I need to figure out what I really want and if that is even possible with my present circumstances. So often I just back down because of what everyone else needs…. “Mother complex!” LOL Taking some time this week to seek God’s leading….
    Love you, my wise friend!!!!

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  6. Christa, this is fabulous! What a blessing to have clear direction and a vision for your ministry. Looking forward to see more awesomeness from your this year and excited about your course. I know they Lord is going to bless your faithfulness!
    Hope we can collaborate again sometime friend, you are a gift!

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  7. I’m so proud of you, Christa! Thank you for setting this wonderful example of how we can chase God’s calling on our lives by best utilizing the gifts He’s given us, with humility, grace and perseverance. I have tears in my eyes right now – this is a wonderful gift you’ve given the world and I CANNOT wait to be one of the first sign-ups for your course. Keep up all the great work!!!!

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  8. This post is seriously something I needed to hear today! It was helpful on so many levels. I too would say that I’m stuck between numbers and calling and learning how to balance both well. Thank you for the insight!

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  9. I have a very similar mission, as far as making sure I am proclaiming Christ. I have to check myself often because I want so desperately to be a full-time blogger, but I have to wait patiently and keep my content where God wants it instead of where the views will come from.

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  10. This is awesome! It’s so easy to get caught up in the world of numbers and strategies to improve your blog and lose sight of God’s plan and heart for it. I’m so glad you’re helping bloggers to find their focus!

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  11. What a humbling post to read. It’s easy to get off track, especially when it seems like our decisions are godly (but the decision making process is not.) Thank you for sharing so honestly and pointedly. I’ll be praying for you as you try this “new thing.” : ) Blessings! #IntentionallyPursuing

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  12. Fantastic post, Christa! Thank you this! What a great reminder to keep coming back to our calling, keeping our mission in focus, in the midst of all the busyness! Totally needed this reminder today!

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  13. Thanks, Christa, for the honest sharing! I appreciate your humility and the glimpse at how the Lord used your friend to show you some significant things He wanted to remind you of. It was a great read! Visiting today as your neighbor from Jaime’s linkup.

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  14. Oh geeze, you got me! I know my call is to write, but with all that is going on under my roof, the bajillions (a number my kid made up) of link-ups that look great but make my head spin sometimes (because I know I need help but don’t know which to choose in the little time I have most days) – sometimes it can feel extremely overwhelming. So far, I have been trying to be faithful with what I have been given but also in that process of reevaluating my direction (as I feel I cover too much almost) but trying to stay true to who I am as well. I joined Compel recently because I needed direction, but even that can be overwhelming to me if I miss a week or two of lessons and find myself playing catch up. As I read this blog post, I felt extremely thankful that you would do the hard thing and ask yourself that question. I almost felt like you were talking straight to me – because I am the kinda girl who goes numb in a crowd usually but opens up with a few faces. I am praying God continues to guide you as you help others along in their journey. God bless!

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    • Oh sweet Meghan! I totally know how you feel! All.the.things can be so overwhelming. The great thing about Compel is you can just take it at your own pace. If you miss a week, jump right back in and don’t necessarily worry about about going back if you don’t have time. I am extremely thankful that YOU would take the time to read and hope you’ll stay around an open up!

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